Event Details

Kulia I Kanu`uA Celebration of the 125th Anniversary of Kanyaku IminHonoring All AJA WII VeteransA Day of Remembrance, Friendship, and Family Fun!

June 5, 20102 pm to 9 pmIolani Palace

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Special VIP admission tickets available starting at $13 (see above)

The theme phrase is the motto of Queen Kapiolani, wife of King Kalakaua, which means "Strive for the summit" in the sense of striving for excellence or greatness, which is like "Go For Broke" (the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team) in spirit, to emphasize the deep friendship between the people of Japan and Hawaii. This friendship officially dates back to the Treaty of Friendship of 1867 during the reign of Kamehameha IV. However, this relationship between the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Japanese Empire became much closer when King Kalakaua became the first head of state to be received by the Meiji Emperor during a 19-day visit in 1881. This would later set the stage for mass immigration of Japanese contract laborers to Hawaii from 1885 to 1894, known as "Kanyaku imin jidai," thus firmly establishing the Japanese community in the islands.

The event kicks off at 2 pm, with yummy food booths bringing you back to plantation days with local treats like shave ice, andagi, saimin and yakitori, and much more! Tours of the Palace, which are included with purchase of a VIP ticket, will also start at this time. Tours are first come first served and the last tour is at 5 pm. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A TOUR, MAKE SURE YOU SIGN UP FOR A TOUR TIME AT THE TICKETING AREA AS YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED A TIMESLOT. There are 45 minute tours and shorter tours available. What a great deal -- regular admission is $15 for Hawaii residents! Learn about the history of Hawaii's original gathering place and see royal artifacts. Learn interesting facts about the Palace, such as the fact that it had electricity four years before the White House!

At 2:30, meet the veterans at the informal "talk story" session in the Kana`ina Building.

A ceremony to honor all WWII Japanese American (aka "AJA" or "Americans of Japanese Ancestry") Veterans, many of whom trace their roots to parents and ancestors who arrived during Kanyaku Imin, will start at 4 pm, culminating in a re-creation of sorts of that famous photo of the 442nd RCT before shipping off for training in March, 1943. Almost 17,000 people were there to bid aloha to the 2600 volunteers of the 442nd at Iolani Palace on March 28th, 1943; let's try to re-create that crowd of support as much as possible! To begin the formal ceremony veterans will arrive from just outside the Palace gates; the 442nd marched down King Street in 1943.

Be in the photo 67 years later, but this time with all AJA WWII veterans: the 100th Battalion (which was shipped out of Hawaii in secret on June 5, 1942; some didn't even get to say goodbye to their families!), the 442nd RCT, the Military Intelligence Service (translators and linguists who are credited as shortening the war in the Pacific by two years), and the 1399th Engineers (who built critical military structures and secret tunnels and facilities). Be there to honor these brave men who, as 18 year old youngsters, fought not only the Nazis, but racial prejudice. Many are well into their 90s and we are losing them every day. Be there to shake the hands of these quiet war heroes who, after returning home, helped to build Hawaii into what it is today.

ManoaDNA (also a 442nd RCT family!) will perform from 3 pm till 4 pm.

At 5 pm, there will be a concert featuring ukulele virtuoso and friend of the veterans Jake Shimabukuro, playing his new song for the veterans, "Go For Broke." Bring your goza and blankets and enjoy the concert on the Lawn, plantation style! Special reserved concert seating will be available for VIP Admission ticket holders, veterans and their wives, and handicapped.

The purpose of the Bon dance is to emphasize the theme of remembrance, taking a cue from a military practice and famous speech by 100th Battalion Chaplain Yost, to "step off the road and let the dead pass by." It was a military practice that, when the dead were transported back to the homefront, troops would step off the road and bow their heads to pay respect. Chaplain Yost's speech after the war addressed the veterans with the idea that they (and we, too) must take time from their busy lives to "step off the road and let the dead pass by," that those who have gone before and sacrificed must be remembered and honored from time to time. The Japanese "Obon" season celebrates the spirits of loved ones coming back to visit the living, andno matter your faith or beliefs, in this spirit we invite you to remember loved ones who are no longer with us.

Your VIP Admission ticket includes a "fast pass" to special lines for all food booths all day long -- don't be stuck in long lines!

We are also coordinating displays of WWII vehicles and plantation artifacts.

Proceeds to benefit partner organizations and an educational effort to create a comic book for Hawaii's school kids and libraries about the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The goal is to raise enough to be able to give away all 5000 copies of the comic book.

Bring the family out and enjoy this unique event! Lots of fun, but history and culture too!